these white, petal-shaped pieces are Shunde milk slices that I bought last week in Shunde, Guangdong. They are sometimes called “Chinese cheese.”
Traditionally, people in Shunde raised water buffalo for their milk. But when there was sometimes more buffalo milk than could be consumed or stored, villagers mixed the milk with vinegar and salt to coagulate the milk proteins. They then pressed the curds with molds into relatively brittle round slices, which were packed in jars with brine and sold. Each maker usually has their own patterned mold, leaving a unique imprint on the surface.
In Shunde, people often add these milk slices to plain white congee. But today, I used them instead of cheddar cheese for my breakfast.The flavor is gently salty, with just a faint hint of vinegar.
My question is: since this process doesn’t seem to involve fermentation, should Shunde milk slices be classified as a type of cheese, or are they more accurately described as a preserved milk product?
by DirectBudget1107